I Put a Spell on You
by Dreaded Rasengan
Summary: He was an artist on the battlefield. His sword was his paintbrush, the blood of his enemies was his paint and the earth was his canvas. The more Tharja watched him, the more she wanted to know about the mysterious masked fighter... MUxTharja ChromxSumia. Rated T for Violence and Language. Rating might go up in the future


Hey all! This is my first Fire Emblem Fanfiction and my first Non-Naruto Fanfiction so please be gentle! Just a little background before we begin: My Unit's name is Jayce because I thought it seemed fitting with the other names given in Awakening and he is a Dread Fighter. If you don't know what that is, it is a DLC class you get after defeating Alm in Lost Bloodlines II DLC. Dread Fighters are ninja like warriors who can use swords, axes, and tomes and they have a lot of resistance.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fire Emblem

* * *

**The Unexpected Ally**

* * *

**The Border Between Ferox and Plegia**

* * *

There was a tense silence as the Shepherds sat quietly in the back of their wagons. The only sound was the clanking of the horse hooves against the ground as Chrom's army slowly made their way to Plegia to save his sister Emmeryn.

Chrom himself was sitting quietly at the front of their wagon while staring at his clenched fists. Not even his beloved Sumia could ease the young man's mind, but who could blame him? His sister was in the hands of the mad king, Gangrel.

His little sister Lissa was seated next to him yet she looked like she was ready to burst into tears. She was obviously putting up a strong front for the rest of the Shepherds, but everyone could tell she was ready to burst. Oddly enough, it was the suave thief, Gaius, who had comforted her in his own special way by offering her one of his probably pilfered sweets.

Jayce sat at the very end of the wagon by himself. He didn't have any words to comfort his friends Chrom and Lissa so he isolated himself away from everyone so he could think of any strategy to get Emmeryn back. He was confident is their current plan to rescue the Exalt the best laid plans never survive first contact with the enemies. He had to be ready for everything! The life of Emmeryn was resting on his shoulders so he couldn't fail…Jayce let out a very frustrated sigh before running his hand through his swept back blond hair.

"Oy, what is with the stretched long face and world weary sigh?" A slightly Russian accented voiced asked before a large hulk of a man took his seat next to Jayce.

Jayce looked up to see the weather beaten face of the recently hired sellsword, Gregor. Gregor was a large man with short cut rustic red hair and talked with an accent that was foreign to both Plegia and Ylisse.

"There is a lot riding on this mission, Gregor. I can't help be stressed. Emmeryn's life hangs in the balance." Jayce replied tensely.

Gregor leaned back in his seat next to Jayce and crossed his arms, "Aye, Gregor knows mission is very important, but he can also see the steam leaving your ears! Young Tactician must be ease of mind to perform on battlefield. You will be useful as old goat with three legs if doubt weighs you down."

Jayce raised an eyebrow at Gregor's analogy, but he understood the gist of his message, "I appreciate the talk Gregor, but it's not easy just shift my mind away from our task." Gregor shrugged his broad shoulders before saying, "Why not tell old Gregor where young tactician acquire funky mask?"

Jayce looked over to the fox mask that was strapped to his left pauldron before pulling it off and holding it in front of him. He stared at it for a long time before looking over at the curious Gregor, "I don't know…it just sort of appeared on me."

"Masks not appear out of sky…unless it cursed! Keep foul magic away from Gregor!" Gregor said in a panicked tone before sliding a couple seats away from Jayce.

Jayce chuckled before latching his mask back onto his pauldron, "It's not cursed, Gregor. It was on me with this strange armor when Chrom, Lissa, and Frederick found me. I honestly don't remember where it came from or pretty much anything from my past. It's quite vexing actually…"

Gregor calmed down before sliding back next to Jayce, "Aye, it is hard like tortoise shell to not know one self. Gregor knows Gregor and Gregor trust Gregor. Young Tactician doesn't know self, hard to trust stranger. Leads to much doubts…"

Jayce grimaced before nodding his head slowly, "Yeah, it's tough for me, but at least I have this mask…"

"Oh? How mask help?" Gregor asked curiously.

Jayce shrugged his shoulders before taking his mask and holding it in front of his face, "I don't know how to explain it, but when I have this mask on, all the troubles that plague me just seem to melt away. It's kinda like how Lon'qu can get over his fear of women on the battlefield."

"Ahhh Gregor understands." Gregor replied with a satisfied nod.

"You do?" Jayce asked curiously.

"Aye, mask not just symbolic to young Jayce. Mask is battle persona. How do you say…alternate personality…With mask, you no longer Jayce nor are you plagued with Jayce's problems. You become warrior who brings terror to heart of enemies! A true Dread Fighter!" Gregor finished with a hearty laugh and a slap on Jayce's back which almost launched him to the other side of the wagon.

Jayce chuckled painfully before looking back at his mask, "A Dread Fighter huh…I like it."

"Name befitting for young tactician! Careful though, Gregor has seen many men lose themselves to alter ego. Must not use mask to hide from problems. It is shield, yes, but not very effective one in the long run." Gregor warned gravely.

Jayce saw the seriousness in Gregor's visage and nodded his head solemnly. Before he could reply though, Frederick made his imposing presence known by announcing that they had reached the border between Ferox and Plegia and the rest of the journey would have to be by foot.

Jayce sighed before sliding his mask over his face. Like always, he felt the magic flow through him. On the outside, everyone could see the red charged magic flow out erratically from his body.

"It's show time" Jayce's flat voice carried through the wind.

* * *

**Plegia**

* * *

"I want the archer stationed in those forts! Make sure the barricade is secure! Remember boys, do not let one of the Ylissean dogs live when they come for their precious Exalt!" General Campari barked.

Off to the side, a young raven haired mage rolled her eyes. She hated that man and this stupid war. If it was up to her, she would be home right now thinking of new and creative hexes to make.

"Tharja! Get your bony ass over here!" Campari yelled.

If looks could kill, Campari would be rotting in the desert right now as the buzzards picked his eyes out of his lifeless corpse. Almost like a wraith, Tharja walked over towards the annoying general.

"What do you want?" Tharja asked in an annoyed tone.

"Don't take that tone with me, witch! I am your superior and you will listen to me!" Campari growled at the petite woman.

"_You're barely evolved enough to be considered human…_" Tharja thought darkly before nodding her head towards Campari.

"I want you at the frontlines to "greet" our guests" Campari said with a sadistic smile.

"What?!" Tharja yelled in anger. She knew she was a great dark mage, but like all other mages, she wasn't really equipped for frontal assaults since she lacked the endurance and stamina. It was basically suicide to send a mage to the frontlines unless they were from fabled Dark Knight Brigade, but Tharja wasn't a Dark Knight.

"The men in front will need your magic to keep their morale. Are you questioning my orders?" Campari asked menacingly.

"I'm a mage, not a damn cheerleader!" Tharja gritted out.

"I could hardly tell by the way you dress." Campari sneered.

"You son of a-"

"Watch it, little mage! Remember your family is "depending" on you right now and I hold all the cards." Campari cut Tharja off with his cryptic reply.

"They can rot in hell with you." Tharja seethed before storming off towards

General Campari watched the mage storm off before turning to his second-in-command, "Watch her. I don't want her getting any ideas."

The soldier nodded before following after the fuming mage.

Tharja stomped her way into the desert while thinking of every lethal curse in her arsenal that she could use on Campari. How dare that oaf order her around, how dare her parents trade her into that brute's hand just to save their own selfish hides, how dare that stupid king for dragging this war back to her home.

Tharja finally noticed that she had reached her destination just in time to see King Gangrel appear next to Campari with his whor- advisor, Aversa. Tharja mostly tuned out what that raving madmen said, but she did look up to see where the Exalt of Ylisse stood with a barbarian holding an axe at her menacingly. Tharja felt a stab of pity within her when she noticed that the Exalt had no fear in her face, but acceptance. She knew she was going to die today, but it didn't faze her.

Tharja watched as the barbarian slowly made his way towards the Exalt with his menacing axe in hand. Tharja wasn't sure if he was going to cut her or just shove her off of the tip of the pillar. The dark side of her mind said that the brute would probably make it as excruciating as possible…

Before the barbarian took another step, a hand axe whirled through the air and landed dead center of the Barbarian's skull.

"Yeeeeeaaaah! Score one for the Vaike!" Tharja heard an obnoxious voice echo from a blond man sitting behind a Pegasus Rider with long crimson hair.

The rider and the buffoon regrouped with the rest of their company who was marching from the left side of the entrance to the city. From What Tharja could tell this was the Ylissean vanguard unit. The main force was either attacking from a different front, or they weren't far behind this relatively small force.

Tharja saw a man with dark blue hair yell towards Gangrel before Gangrel laughed in his face a walk off the battlefield to watch the upcoming carnage. Tharja felt more loathing towards her _"king"_ when she realized that he wasn't even going to fight the battle he caused.

"_Pathetic…why must I fight for a cause I don't believe in or a King I don't follow…"_ Tharja thought bitterly before sighing and preparing to engage the advancing enemy. She hoped she would survive the next battle long enough to watch someone drive their blade through Campari's throat…

* * *

**With the Shepherds**

* * *

"Damn that Gangrel." Chrom seethed.

Chrom was tightening his fists so hard that the other Shepherds could hear the leather in his gloves tear. Sumia looked like she was caught in what she should do until she felt a slight push towards Chrom. She looked back to see the Jayce's masked face staring back at her. He gave a slight nod towards Chrom's direction. Sumia nodded before taking Chrom's fist into her hand. Chrom's fist slackened under Sumia's hold, but his shoulders were still rigid.

"Are you ready, Chrom?" Jayce's voice sounded behind the couple.

Chrom turned to Sumia and gave her a grateful smile before turning back to his masked tactician, "I'm ready as I'm ever going to be, my friend. You're in charge now."

Jayce nodded his head before turning towards the gathered Shepherds. Not everyone was present since Chrom felt it would be best to have some of them support Basilio and Flavia on their fronts. Chrom had handpicked Jayce, Sumia, Cordelia, Frederick, Sully, Stahl, Vaike, Gregor, and Lon'qu. Lissa and Nowi made it known that they weren't going to be left behind and accompanied the rest.

"Listen up guys; we don't have much time so I'll make this short. Sumia, you will escort Chrom ahead of the battle while I follow on the back of Cordelia's mount. The Pegasus units can traverse this desert the fastest and time is of the essence." Jayce looked up to see Cordelia and Sumia nod their heads and prepare their Pegasus.

"Frederick, Stahl, and Sully will guard are escape route since the It would take forever for you to get through all this sand with your horses. We also don't want any nasty surprises when we bring Emmeryn back this way." Sully looked ready to protest, but nodded her head none the less and followed Stahl and Frederick to the rear position.

"Gregor, Lon'qu, and Vaike, I want you to keep up the pressure on the Plegian soldiers and slowly make your way up the battle. Meet us at the advanced rally point near those abandoned forts. Nowi I want you to provide air support for whichever group looks like they need it. Lissa I want you to provide healing to whoever needs it, but stay out of the skirmishes."

"Gregor is on top it. Hopefully young Vaike and young Lon'qu can keep up with old man. Haha!" Gregor joked before unsheathing his steel sword.

"Don't worry about us, old man. Maybe you should sit this one out before you break a hip. Ole' Teach will put in overtime to make up for your slack." Vaike taunted back before reading his hand axes

"…" Lon'qu grimaced slightly before marching off with his killing edge katana.

"Ah it does Gregor's heart wonders to see such vigor in youths these days, but manners were obviously lost in this generation, yes?" Gregor said with jovial laugh as he followed Lon'qu.

"H-Hey! Wait up for Teach! Class hasn't started yet!" Vaike yelled before he hastily followed the mercenary and the swordsman.

Jayce shook his head before turning to the youngest and the youngest looking members of the Shepherds. Nowi looked giddy while Lissa was fidgeting nervously. Jayce slid his mask off and gave the little girl his best reassuring smile which seemed to ease her nerves a bit.

"We'll get Emmeryn back, Lissa, but I need you to stay safe out there. You're our only medic and if Emmeryn is injured, you're the only one who could really help her." Jayce told Lissa gently.

Lissa's eyes filled with resolve and she gave Jayce a sharp nod before going next to Nowi who started her transformation. A green dragon emerged from the pink flower bud where Nowi's human form once stood. She was hovering lazily about a meter off the ground and waiting for Chrom's little sister.

"Hop on Lissa! It'll be fun, I promise!" Nowi said jubilantly.

Lissa cautiously sat on the back of Nowi's neck then screeched loudly when Nowi rapidly took off into the sky. Jayce looked on with a bemused smile before he placed his mask on and turned to Chrom who was already sitting behind Sumia and waiting patiently for Jayce to join up with Cordelia so they could go.

Jayce walked over towards Cordelia and her mount before hopping onto the back of the winged horse. He turned towards Chrom and Sumia and said, "We can't risk prolonged engagements so only take out the biggest threats, Vaike, Lon'qu, and Gregor will handle the brunt of the enemies. Everyone ready?"

"Yes, sir." Cordelia said calmly.

"I'll do my best…" Sumia said nervously, but Chrom placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder which calmed her down. Cordelia had to look away from the subtle display of affection.

Jayce cleared his throat before the situation became awkward, "Right, let's go. Chrom and Sumia, you go first and we'll cover you guys."

They both nodded their heads and Sumia commanded her mount to rise in the air. It was only a matter of seconds before they were soaring through the sky. Cordelia and Jayce weren't far behind them. Jayce noted that there were two squads of soldiers in Gregor's squad's path and they were all armed with lances, but it wasn't anything the three couldn't handle. Jayce was jerked out of his thoughts when Cordelia made a sharp evasion maneuver.

"Archers!" Cordelia called out.

Jayce cursed under his breath before he scanned the battlefield for the archers he failed to locate. He saw one archer in the open near some lance-men and the other was hiding near a broken fort.

"Chrom!" Jayce called out and pointed towards the open archer. Chrom nodded and told Sumia what to do.

Sumia didn't slow her pace but lowered her altitude so Chrom could strike the archer with his falchion. To most of the lance-men, it was like a blur. The only thing they saw was a white flash and heard a roar of a horse before they noticed they noticed their headless ally lying on the ground.

Cordelia and Jayce decided to take on the hidden archer. The archer knew he was spotted and tried to shoot down the Pegasus. Fortunately he narrowly missed his mark, twice. Once they were in range, Jayce took out a hand axe and embedded it into the archer's skull in one swift and fluid motion without Cordelia having to slow down or having to readjust her path. The archer slumped down into the ground as Cordelia caught up with Sumia and Chrom.

There was a large trek of open desert which was oddly left unguarded. The two Pegasus units and their passengers quickly made their way to the forward outpost right before the entrance to the city of Plegia. It was obviously heavily guarded, but Chrom noticed that someone was fighting the Plegians by herself. He and Sumia went over to help the blond women while Cordelia and Jayce went to take cover in an abandoned fort.

"Cordelia, I want you to head back towards Chrom's position." Jayce told the red haired Pegasus rider once he set his feet on the ground.

"Sir?" Cordelia asked in a confused tone.

"The distance between here and the woman's position is too far to reach by foot if she's hurt. Sumia is the only option to get her back to Lissa for healing if that's the case. Chrom would be walking through the desert by himself. I'm sending you back to either pick him up or escort the woman to Lissa." Jayce commanded.

"But what about you, sir?" Cordelia asked.

"I'll be fine. You have you're orders, soldier." Jayce said before rushing into the abandoned fort.

Cordelia hesitated for a moment before turning around and flying off towards Chrom's position. Jayce took a deep breath before he surveyed the area before him. He noticed that the entrance to the city had two forts in front of it and they were filled with archers. There were at least five squads of lance-men just on guard. There were some wyvern flyers guarding the skies. Oddly enough, Jayce noticed a single dark mage among the soldiers. It wasn't odd for Plegia to use dark mages, but this one was purposefully isolating herself from the rest and looked reluctant to fight.

"_That's pretty odd…"_ Jayce thought to himself.

Jayce couldn't ponder over the strange mage any longer as he was forced to dodge a hail of arrows that were shot at him.

"The first one to bring me that Ylissean dog's head gets a fat bonus in their next paycheck!" A large man in heavy armored yelled to the rest of the troops.

Jayce noticed that most of the men cheered except for that peculiar mage who seemed to sneer in disgust at the large man. He'd have to file that to the back of his mind though since the Plegian troops were starting to converge on his position. Jayce took a steady breath before unsheathing his killing edge katana. He stood as still as a statue with his katana readied as he waited for the Plegian troops to come to him. The fort's courtyard would bottleneck the troops so Jayce wouldn't be swarmed. They would be there in a matter of minutes…

* * *

**With Tharja**

* * *

Tharja could feel a pair of eyes on her, but she couldn't locate the person who was staring at her. It wasn't with disgust or lust like with most of Campari's men, but it was filled with curiosity.

"The first one to bring me that Ylissean dog's head gets a fat bonus in their next paycheck!" Tharja heard the oaf Campari barked out and his feeble minded followers cheered as they marched towards their deaths.

Tharja sneered at Campari because he did just sign the death warrants of his troops. They would die, maybe the Ylissean would die in the process, but Tharja knew he would take more than one of these simple minded primitives with him. The troops would die, the Ylissean would die, Tharja would probably be dead after this fight, and hopefully Campari would be dead too. All this death was for what? Was it to please a clinically insane man on a power trip? That was such a vile pill to swallow…

That was when she saw him. Everything seemed to freeze within Tharja when she noticed the masked Ylissean. Tharja couldn't explain it. She felt pulled towards this person yet she also feared the sheer power and force the person seemed to emit. Even with that mask on, Tharja could feel his eyes on her and the question was clear, _"What are you going to do now?"_

Tharja briefly considered if the masked man was a dark mage himself and he placed a hex on her since she was incapable of moving or looking away from him. It seemed the most plausible explanation in her mind…

"_He's different…interesting…" _Tharja thought before she gasped.

The masked man just seemed to disappear! That wasn't possible! Was the desert playing tricks on her mind? Had she just imagined that strangely alluring man?

"Gah!?" One of the soldiers cried out in pain as he was cleaved by the Mask man's katana. His cry of pain drew Tharja's attention back to the masked man who was very real…and very dangerous…

He moved though the battlefield like a leaf caught in the wind. There was no pattern where he moved, but he left death in his bloody wake. Tharja was simply enthralled. The man seemed more than a simple soldier. He was like an artist and that sword was his paintbrush. The blood of the enemies was his paint and the earth was his canvas. He made death seemed beautiful to Tharja in ways she couldn't comprehend.

"Where is the damn wyvern brigade?! Hurry! Close off their escape!" Campari yelled to someone.

It seemed every time Tharja was getting lost in the mysterious man's presence, Campari's loud and obnoxious voice broke her out of her reverie. For once she wasn't sure if she should be angry at the bulldog general or thankful…

"You there! Are you with the Plegians? You seem reluctant to fight." A new voice startled Tharja.

She looked around before noticing it was the blue haired man who was in a shouting match with Gangrel. By his posture and armor, Tharja assumed he was the leader of this group since the mask man seemed more like a lone wolf type.

Tharja paused for a second to go over what the man had just said to her. What was he doing? Obviously she was from Plegia so why didn't he cut her down where she stood? Well she might as well tell him the truth, "Death comes for all of us eventually. Why invite it early, fighting for a cause I don't believe in?"

The man seemed more confused than before and Tharja had to resist rolling her eyes, "So…I should take that as a no, or…"

Tharja did not resist rolling her eyes this time as she answered the man, "Let's just say I'm keeping my options open. I mean long live the king and all, but I'd like to keep living as well…"

Tharja paused before smirking evilly and continuing, "And I have a bit of a rebellious streak, I'm afraid. A…dark side."

The man dropped down from the Pegasus mount and stood tall in front of Tharja. He was taller than her but not by much. He kept his sword in his hand, but it was in a relaxed stance. It didn't fool Tharja who knew he could shift into an aggressive or defensive stance in mere seconds if the need called for it. He looked uncomfortable, but his words shocked Tharja.

"Then…perhaps you would rebel now and fight for our cause?" Chrom asked slowly like he was talking to an animal that was ready to pounce.

Tharja stood there dumbstruck. Was he really offering her a chance to escape her hellhole home? It seemed too good to be true. It could be a trap, but she was already at their mercy so what would he gain by tricking her?

"…You would trust me? What if this is all just a ploy to plunge a dagger in your back?" Tharja knew the irony of her asking the question of _her_ stabbing _him_ in the back, but she asked anyways.

To Tharja's surprise, Chrom let out a hearty laugh, "If that was your plan, then you would probably have a mind as cunning as my tactician! But the truth is that my sister, the Exalt – I think she would trust you. And I'm trying to learn from her. Besides, I already need to watch my back, whether you're with us or not."

"_Are all Ylisseans this naïve and noble?" _Tharja thought before shaking her head. Maybe if she joined up with this group then she could learn more about the masked man! That sure was an enticing bonus after the freedom she would acquire.

"Well, that's odd…Usually when I bring up the backstabbing but the discussion is over. All right, then – consider me your new ally…For now…" Tharja agreed before she froze on the spot.

The masked man had appeared next to Chrom and now was charging at her with his katana drawn. Time seemed to slow as she watched as the masked man came closer and closer. Was this really her end? Was her blood going to be used for his next masterpiece? Surprisingly, the thought of dying from this masked man did not fill her with the fear she expected. She didn't fear him killing her, but she was afraid of dying before knowing who he was.

Before Tharja knew what happened, she came face to face with the person that was plaguing her thoughts. She saw him thrust his blade at her and she felt warm blood splash against her skin, but surprisingly, she didn't feel any pain…

"I'm sorry." His voice was as soft as the wind to Tharja's ears.

"Don't be…" Tharja said almost automatically. Shouldn't she be angry at her executioner? She didn't feel any rage, anger, sadness, or despair. It was all confusing…and where was the pain?

The man slowly pulled his katana back and flicked the blood off his blade before sheathing it on his back. He reached up and pulled his mask off which revealed a face that caused Tharja's heart to speed up. He looked as old as her, but his face was very angular and so very masculine. His eyes were sharp, but they were a non-descriptive color. Tharja admitted she wouldn't mind just staring at him for the rest of eternity…

"I didn't have time to warn you and the man behind you would have probably killed you before you could react." The blond haired man said with an apologetic smile.

"Huh?" Tharja replied intelligently.

A thump behind her was her answer. She turned around to see Campari's second-in-command dead on the desert floor with a sword stab wound where his heart would be. In his hands was a dagger that was no doubt intended for Tharja's throat.

Tharja gaped like a fish as she kept looking between the body of her would-be-killer to the man who had saved her life. Her life was just saved by the man who was plaguing her every thought since she first laid eyes on him. The thought of him protecting her sent a pleasurable shiver down her spine and filled her heart with this feeling she couldn't describe. She felt the blood rush to her face which was becoming unbearably warm in her opinion. Damn her body for rebelling against her!

Tharja swiftly turned away from Jayce so he couldn't see her blushing face and stared at the ground, "I can handle myself…"

Jayce sent a confused look to Tharja's back before sending a silent question towards Chrom. Chrom just shrugged his shoulders. Jayce sighed and shook his head before putting his mask back on. He walked towards Chrom without noticing Tharja was tailing his steps. It would become a common occurrence between the two…

"I should put a bell on you, so you wouldn't be constantly sneaking up on me, Jayce." Chrom joked lightly.

Jayce let out a little chuckle before he became serious again, "What do we do now, Chrom? Should we wait for back up and where's Cordelia?"

"I ordered Cordelia to bring Libra to Lissa for further healing. He had held his own for a while, but he took numerous wounds. The only reason he's alive was because he was able to heal himself. Still it would be better for Lissa to heal him before continue fighting. Cordelia said she had saw Gregor, Lon'qu and Vaike finishing up the initial guard, but they looked to be heading back to the rear guard. I'm guessing Frederick, Sully and Stahl need help." Chrom filled in the situation for Jayce.

Jayce nodded his head before his head snapped towards Chrom, "Wait, that was a guy?!"

Chrom shook his head ruefully, "I made the same mistake too, but we have other issues to think about. It looks like it's only going to be the four of us to storm the courtyard."

"There are reinforcements in the forts at the entrance." Tharja interjected.

Jayce looked over at the seemingly abandoned fort until he noticed the sunlight reflecting off an object. He took a closer look and noticed it was a Plegian helmet, "She's right. We're going to have to take them out. Chrom, you and Sumia take out the left one; I'll take out the right side with…uh…"

"Tharja, my name is Tharja." Tharja said when Jayce looked at her. She had to keep her head lowered since her body was still betraying her, especially her face.

"Tharja huh, that's a nice name," Jayce commented which unknowingly sent Tharja to cloud nine, "Tharja and I will strike the right side then. We'll go when you are ready, Chrom."

Chrom nodded before hopping back onto Sumia's mount, "Let's finish this quickly."

Jayce watched Sumia fly off before turning to Tharja who was staring at him with those deep purple eyes that seemed to see right through him. He had to repress a shiver that ran down his spine. He wasn't sure what caused it though.

Jayce took a moment to find his voice before asking in an unintentionally husky voice, "Are you ready?"

Tharja felt her throat dry up. She would willingly jump off a bridge if he talked to her in that voice. Tharja needed to snap out of this man's spell. He was throwing everything about her out of balance.

"Tharja? Are you alright?" Jayce's concerned voice snapped Tharja out of her reverie.

"F-fine! I mean I'm fine…just was thinking of how we should attack that fort." Tharja said quickly while averting her eyes away from Jayce and back towards the ground.

Jayce didn't really buy her answer, but he didn't want to press the issue so he said, "I'm open to ideas as long as we do it fast. Emmeryn's life is still in peril."

"We could just burn the fort down. It's not going to be clean, but it'll save us time." Tharja expected Jayce to shoot down that idea since it would be considered "dishonorable" to have those Plegians suffer.

"Burn it down to the ground, huh? I like it, but we'll have to combine our spells to get the flames large enough. Here-" Jayce lightly tossed Tharja a Fire Tome.

Tharja was surprised by Jayce's decision, but she didn't show it. He was just a walking mystery to her and she had no idea how she felt about that. She looked down at the Novice level Fire Tome Jayce handed and was about to scoff at it until she felt it pulse with power.

Jayce saw her inquisitive look and answered he unasked question concerning the tome, "I spent a small fortune to have that specific tome enchanted. I've tested it a couple times and the results were quite…potent…"

Tharja could hear the smirk in Jayce's tone and it sent another wave of foreign feelings coursing through her being. She would have to make sure she didn't use up this tome because it might have just become her most prized possession.

"I'll admit that this tome is stronger than anything I have right now, but is it strong enough to bring that whole building down?" Tharja asked.

Jayce shook his head negatively before replying, "No, it's not strong enough on its own. I did have it forged from a novice tome after all. That's why we're going to use this-"

Jayce pulled out a similar tome to the fire one he handed to Tharja, but this one was green signifying that is was a wind tome. Like before, it looked like a standard novice wind tome, but Tharja could feel the potent magic coursing through it.

"This one isn't as strong as the fire one I gave you, but it has a wider spread for a guarantee hit. I'll be basically fanning your flames with this tome. The two together should be strong enough to level that fort…in theory…" Jayce mumbled the last part, but Tharja heard it.

"You've never tried it?" Tharja asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well…uh…no. There's only one other mage on our team and he almost set a full forest on fire when I caught him practicing with my tome by accident…" Jayce admitted sheepishly.

"So you would trust me with your tome?" Tharja asked as the thought of having Jayce's trust filled her with that airy, light-headed feeling.

Jayce nodded, "If Chrom trusts you then so do I. Also I don't really have to worry about collateral damage here, do I?" Jayce said with a chuckle.

"I guess not…" Tharja said as she tried to restrain a smile. She NEVER smiled. Why was this happening to her? It had to be something Jayce was doing to her. She never had a reason to smile until he met her on this blood soaked desert.

"Let's go!" Jayce said as he failed to notice Tharja's internal plight.

The duo made it to their target a short while later. Jayce made sure not to move too far ahead of Tharja and moved in a brisk pace, but not too fast where Tharja couldn't keep up. She was still slightly winded however. She was a mage, not a track star. They both noticed that the enemies in their fort were preoccupied in hitting Chrom and Sumia who were preforming aerial acrobatics to dodge the hail of arrows and magic being thrown at them.

"We better hurry; I don't know how much longer Sumia can keep dodging." Jayce said before taking out his modified wind tome.

Tharja nodded before following Jayce's example and taking out her borrowed (Jayce wasn't going to get it back, ever…) fire tome. Tharja fired her spell first. The Fire was leaving Tharja's hand in a controlled stream, but it wouldn't burn through the stone built fort in front of her. Jayce launched his green wind magic directly into Tharja's fire stream. The fire doubled in size and force as Jayce's wind magic provided more oxygen for the fire to burn. Tharja noticed the larger stream was harder to control so she aimed for an opening in the fort and unleashed all her power as she could. The fire shot straight into the fort and then travelled skyward since there was no other direction it could travel.

The screams of agony echoed into the desert as the enhanced fire magic consumed anything in its path. A couple of soldiers leapt out from the top of the fort and landed with a bone sickening crunch on the stone courtyard in front of the fort. It was a quicker and less painful death then being burned to death.

Without pause, Tharja shifted her aim to the other fort and repeated what she did to the first fort. She wasn't quite aware of what was going on. The screams, the enhanced tome's magic coursing through her, and the adrenaline blazing through her system sent her into a drunken state. She wasn't sure where she was or what she was doing, but she loved every moment of it.

Tharja was suddenly jerked out of her power-drunken state when Jayce grabbed her arm and pointed it skyward. Tharja immediately stopped the spell before looking around. She noticed that the other fort was on fire, but the screams had stopped. She didn't realize it, but she was drenched in sweat and breathing heavily. She might have passed out if she continued to use the spell.

"T-thanks…" Tharja said in between breaths.

Jayce had pushed his mask to the side so he could look directly into Tharja's eyes. Tharja wondered how his eyes could shine with such innocence after the way they had just brutally killed those soldiers, but she mainly focused on how he seemed concerned for her wellbeing over all else.

"What happened?" Jayce asked gently as he lowered Tharja's arm, but didn't let go.

"I…I just was a little overwhelmed…" Tharja admitted.

Jayce gave her a sympathetic smile and a small squeeze around her wrist, "I know the feeling. You just feel so alive when the magic courses through you. Just try to take it easy for now, okay?"

Tharja gave a small nod which caused Jayce to smile a little bigger before he slid his mask back on. Tharja frowned as she looked at the mask. She admitted she liked it, but she would rather see the face behind it…

"What?" Jayce asked curiously.

"Nothing!" Tharja said hastily, "Don't we have an Exalt to save?"

"Right! C'mon, Chrom and Sumia went ahead of us." Jayce said before he took off into the City's courtyard.

Tharja stood in the same spot for a couple of seconds so she could regain her composure. She had half a mind to sprint off into the desert so she could escape all these unfamiliar feelings she had around Jayce, but that thought was almost as repulsive of still being indentured to Campari…

"_Wait, isn't Campari in the courtyard? That means we'll be fighting him next!"_ A sinister smile spread across Tharja's face before she sprinted off to catch up with Jayce. Weird feelings be damned! She would see that old bulldog die today!

Tharja arrived just in time to see Jayce throw a hand axe at Campari. The old general raised his large shield and deflected the axe. Seeing his chance, Chrom charged and attacked the general's unprotected side, but was shocked to see that his falchion didn't even leave a scratch in the armor. The general grunted before trying to backhand Chrom with his iron gauntlet.

Chrom ducked under the iron arm and tried to strike the torso with a piercing thrust to the general's torso. Chrom's eyes widened when he noticed that his sword couldn't penetrate the chest plate.

The general growled at Chrom before slamming the butt of his lance into Chrom's chest. Chrom gasped in pain before stumbling back a bit. Sumia tried to attack the general next and tried to stab him with her iron lance. Campari raised his shield and blocked the iron lance before swinging his iron lance down on top of Sumia's lance. The blade end of Campari's lance cut through the wooden part of Sumia's lance right below the blade, separating it from the rod.

Sumia let out a surprised shriek before falling back out of Campari's range. She was out of lances and couldn't really contribute offensively anymore.

"Is that the best you got? You'll never save your precious exalt, scum!" Campari taunted before throwing his spear at Sumia.

The speed of the spear surprised Sumia and her Pegasus would have been impaled if Chrom didn't shoulder tackle her out of the way. Sumia sent Chrom a grateful smile before turning back to Campari who picked up a javelin from one of his dead men. While his back was turned, Jayce attacked Campari with an upper cut swing. Unlike Chrom's attack, Jayce's left a long slash in the metal, but it didn't penetrate all the way through.

"You'll pay for that!" Campari yelled before pivoting on his foot and thrusting out with his javelin.

Jayce disappeared from sight only to reappear outside of Campari's range, "Dammit, all our weapons are ineffective against him…but how?"

"His armor is heavily enchanted." Tharja explained as she ran up to Jayce.

Jayce sent her an inquisitive look before realizing he still had his mask on so he asked what she meant. Tharja replied, "The first day I was under Campari's…employment…he had me place hexes all over his armor. Swords, lances, bows, and axes can hardly graze his pavise aura…"

"…What about magic?" Jayce asked suddenly.

Tharja paused before smiling sinisterly, "That could work…Campari never understood my work and he believed no one with potent magic would ever get near him. He's quite vulnerable to it in fact…"

Jayce didn't say anything since he was slightly distracted by Tharja's smile. It made feel very uncomfortable, but he couldn't pinpoint the reason why…Shaking his head as to clear his mind, Jayce pulled out his enhanced wind tome and fired it directly at Campari. Unlike before, Jayce focused his magic into a piercing stream rather than a wide blanket. Campari saw the attack and raised his shield in an attempt to block the attack, but Jayce kept the pressure on. Eventually the wind magic sliced through the shield and pummeled into Campari, knocking him off balance. Tharja followed up with a fireball attack directly into Camapri's chest.

Campari screamed in agony as the melted metal burned into torso. He looked up to see Tharja and Jayce readying another attack, "You traitorous bitch!"

Tharja didn't respond verbally, but smirked sinisterly at the general and stared at him with hate-filled eyes. She and Jayce wasted no time before launching both their attacks directly into Campari. Campari roared in rage and pain as his gigantic body slammed into the ground. He was being burnt alive inside his own suit of armor and would be dead in a matter of moments.

"Killing me will only fuel Plegia's rage!" Campari screamed out defiantly.

"Plegia will be a much better place without you." Tharja replied smugly.

Before Campari could respond, Tharja launched a fireball spell directly into Campari's face. Campari screamed in pain for a couple of seconds before finally succumbing to his wounds.

Tharja stared at the burning corpse for what felt like hours. She had done it, she had finally killed him and she had her freedom again. She would no longer have to be Campari's magic slave any longer. She couldn't contain the happy laugh from emerging from her throat. Tharja opened her eyes to see Chrom and Sumia looking at her awkwardly, but she didn't care. They couldn't comprehend the relief she was feeling right now.

Tharja felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned around to see Jayce with his mask still on staring at her, but his body language told her he wasn't feeling uncomfortable with her like Chrom and Sumia were.

"You okay?" Jayce asked neutrally.

"I've never felt better." Tharja admitted, "My…family…they sold me to that man in order to save face in Plegia. With a family of dark mages, it was merely a matter of time before one of their experiments went awry. They accidently killed Campari's only son and they traded me to him to keep him quiet about the incident. He's made my life a living hell since I was stuck in his service…"

Jayce gave Tharja a sympathetic shoulder squeeze before walking to Chrom. Before he could say anything, Gangrel started to mock applaud the Shepherds, "Well done, Princeling! Well done making this far, but now it's over. Surrender and I might spare your pitiful lives!"

"You have some nerve Gangrel! You're in no position to make demands." Chrom yelled back as the Pegasus Platoon arrived on scene.

"Milady? Are you hurt?" Phila asked Emmeryn who was still stationed on the horn like pillar.

"Phila! I'm so glad you are safe, but how-" Emmeryn said with a soft sigh of relief.

"Khan Basilio's men freed me. Come, we must hurry!" Phila said as she rushed to Emmeryn's side.

"What? Pegasus knights? How did they... That damned Ylissean tactician does NOT play fair!" Gangrel mused out loud.

"Heh heh heh... Yes, well. Neither do I. Let me handle this, milord." Aversa said before her dark purple magic started to swirl around her.

Chrom, Sumia, Jayce and Tharja all felt a disturbing shift in the air and fell into a defensive box. The other Pegasus knights must not have notice since they continued towards Emmeryn's position. They were startled to hear an inhuman roar come from all around them.

"What is going on?" Sumia asked.

Jayce gasped before noticing that the entire courtyard was filled with Risen. The risen archers wasted no time picking off the shocked Pegasus knights from the skies. Chrom's squad watched helplessly as each rider was shot down from the sky without mercy. Phila was one of the last to fall.

"Risen... How... Y-your Grace, I... Forgive me... Uhh..." Phila whispered out before passing on.

"Gods…" Chrom whispered out in shock after watching the whole platoon be slaughtered like cows.

"Bwa ha ha! Oh, did an army of living corpses just APPEAR out of the blue?! Truly, the heavens smile upon mighty King Gangrel this day! Bwa ha ha ha!" Gangrel said with a sinister smile.

"No no no..." Jayce whispered helplessly.

"We've lost..." Chrom said in disbelief as he stared at the bodies of his fallen comrades.

"I believe this is what they call a reversal of fortunes. Now...grovel before me. Plead! Beg for your worthless lives!" Gangrel shouted smugly at Chrom.

"I'd give up my life before I'd beg for it from you." Chrom yelled back defiantly before raising his falchion.

"Oh, now THAT is a good line. A fitting epitaph for your tombstone, perhaps? But it's not just your life in the balance. The Exalt still stands upon the block. And I have a dozen bows trained on her. All it would take is one word from me..." Gangrel taunted.

Chrom's eyes widened in disbelief before he shifted his gaze towards his sister, "Emm! Hold on, I'm-"

"ARCHERS! If this Ylissean pup so much as twitches, let fly your arrows!" Gangrel commanded. All the archers pulled an arrow out of their quivers and notched their bows.

"I... I'll kill you!" Chrom shouted with more rage than Jayce had ever heard from their levelheaded leader.

Gangrel actually smiled tauntingly towards Chrom before saying, "Go ahead! I welcome it. Just know you were responsible for Big Sister's bloody demise! ...And what of the rest of you? Eh? Who wants the honor of killing the Exalt? ...No one? Bah! Your merry band isn't quite so headstrong anymore, is it? Pathetic!"

"Damn you!" Chrom shouted back, but it lacked the bite his other words had.

"Now, now, my boy—no one needs die today. Not you. Not the exalt. Not your friends. Just lay down your sword, and give me the Fire Emblem." Gangrel commanded and held his hand out as he waited expectantly.

Chrom stared down at his hands before looking at his group with a torn expression, "...I..."

"Chrom! You can't trust him!" Jayce pleaded desperately with his friend.

"Of COURSE I can't trust him! I'm not an idiot! But if I just say no, he'll kill her! The gods are cruel, damn them! My sister or my duty... A problem with no right answer, yet I must choose!" Chrom yelled back.

"Don't give up! There has to be a way..." Jayce said desperately as if he was trying to convince himself more than Chrom.

"If there is, I can't see it... Ah, gods!" Chrom grimaced.

Gangrel grew tired of waiting so he gave Chrom an ultimatum, "I will count to three! Throw down your weapons, or your Exalt becomes the world's largest quiver. One! Two! Thr-"

Chrom watched as the archer were prepared to fire on Emmeryn. He could let this happen so he decided to sumbit, "Gangrel, hold! ...You win. Everyone…lay down yo-"

"No, wait!" Emmeryn's voice echoed throughout the courtyard.

"SILENCE!" Gangrel shouted at Emmeryn.

Chrom looked up at his beloved sister, "Emm..."

"King Gangrel, is there no hope you will listen to reason?" Emmeryn's peaceful voice asked.

"You mean listen to more of your sanctimonious babble?! I think not. No, all I want to hear now is the THUNK of arrows, and a SPLAT as you hit the ground. Take one, long, last look from your perch. You do so enjoy looking down on people... Then prepare to meet the ground, and your maker! That is, unless someone were to give me the Emblem... NOW!" Gangrel snarled like a vicious dog.

"..." Emmeryn's face contorted in discomfort before she let out a sigh of resignation.

"ALL RIGHT! All right... Emm, I know you won't approve, but this is my final decision. MAYBE someday we'll face a crisis where MAYBE the Emblem would've helped... But I know for a fact that Ylisse needs you, today! The people need their Exalt... And we need our sister. If those dark days should come, we'll face them together." Chrom said in a defeated tone before he pulled the fire emblem from one of his pouches.

"Chrom... Th-thank you. I know now what I must do..." Emmeryn said in a quiet voice, yet everyone heard it.

Chrom eyed his sister before panic struck him, "Emm, what are you-"

Emmeryn ignored her brother before turning to the city where Plegian soldiers and civilans alike stared back at her, "Plegians! I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance. Do what you must... As I will do. See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!"

"Emm, no! No!" Chrom shouted before he started to run towards his sister. He ignored everything around him. All that mattered was Emmeryn at the moment.

Emmeryn stared at the passive crowd away from before sighing sadly, "No reaction...Was I wrong, then…Chrom...This is some torch I'm passing you...So be it."

Emmeryn took the final step off the pillar and started to plummet towards the hard earth. The faces of her beloved ones flashed in front of her as she plummeted, "Chrom...Lissa...And all my people...Know that I loved you."

Chrom watched helplessly as Emmeryn collided with the ground with a horrifying thump. He ran as fast as he could, but he was still one hundred yards away, "Emm..."

"Oh gods..." Jayce whispered as he watched his friend drop to his knees in defeat.

"Chrom…" Sumia started to tear up as she saw her love in so much pain.

Tharja remained quiet but she mentally sympathized with Chrom even though she had just met him, but he was important to Jayce and Jayce was in pain for his friend.

Chrom kneeled on the ground for what felt like hours as he stared at his motionless sister. HE felt cold burning rage course through him as he thought of the monster who forced his dear sister into this position, "DAMN YOU, GANGREL!"

"Bwa ha ha haa! Well now! ...How disgustingly noble. And so lovely a fall! Here I thought death to be an ugly thing. I've never seen one fall so gracefully, in fact. ...And I've seen many fall. Ah... So ends Emmeryn, Ylisse's most exalted! But how can we ensure everyone remembers this beautiful moment of her sacrifice? Perhaps we should gather up her body and put it on display! Bwa ha ha..." Gangrel taunted with a nasty smirk on his face.

"Gangrel! You die today!" Chrom yelled out before charging into the Risen Army that stood between him and the mad king.

"Chrom!" Sumia shouted before grabbing a silver lance from her fallen comrade and charging into the fray. It didn't take her long to locate Chrom hacking and slashing his way through Risen.

"Hyaaaah" Sumia speared a Risen archer though the skull before swinging wide and catching a Risen barbarian in the neck. Both corpses fell to the ground dead again before evaporating into a purple mist.

Tharja and Jayce weren't sitting idly by and decided to attack the Risen coming from the left side so they couldn't encircle around Chrom and Sumia. Tharja was using every spell in her arsenal to pick of Risen barbarians and soldiers before they could get close while Jayce attacked any archer or mage before they could attack. Somehow Tharja and Jayce ended up back to back while fighting off the horde.

"Dammit, we have to get out of here before we're overwhelmed." Jayce shouted out before decapitating a Risen with his katana.

"What do you suggest then?" Tharja yelled back before incinerating three risen with a fire spell.

Before Jayce could reply, the rest of the Shepherds accompanied with Basilio and Favia arrived. They cleared a path towards the Dread Fighter and the Dark Mage, "Jayce! Where's Chrom?"

"We got separated after…" Jayce trailed off since he couldn't utter Emmeryn's demise.

"We know, we saw what happened… Listen, we have to retreat. I'll get Chrom while Favia leads your troops out of here." Basilo explained before charging to where Jayce had last seen Chrom.

"C'mon kid, there's nothing else we can do here." Favia said sympathetically before she ushered the rest of the Shepherds away.

Jayce and Tharja followed, but Jayce spared one last look towards where Emmeryn had fallen. He stared there before signing in frustration, "I failed her…"

"You did the best you could." Tharja said simply before trying to tug Jayce back towards the retreating Shepherds.

Jayce was about to retort but he saw something that caused his eyes to widen in horror behind his mask. He didn't hesitate as he grabbed Tharja by the hip and pulled her down to the ground as he fell backwards. Tharja was shocked until she felt the air split behind as a mage launched a wind spell at the duo. By her count, this was the second time Jayce had saved her today…

Jayce reached behind his back and pulled out a hand axe. Even from the ground, Jayce threw the axe precisely where the Risen mage's head was. The was sickening squelching sound as the axe cut the Risen's face into two horizontally before it disappeared in a purple haze.

Jayce stood up abruptly and was about to run when he felt Tharja tug on his arm hard. He turned to look at her impatiently but noticed she was holding his mask in her other hand. It must have fallen off when he hit the dirt and there was a crack running through it from the forehead to the left eye hole. Jayce graciously took his mask before fastening the mask onto his shoulder pad. He took Tharja's hand back and basically dragging her towards the other Shepherds.

"Thanks" Jayce said to her while they kept running.

"Don't…mention…it." Tharja replied between breaths. Did she mention she wasn't used to running?

"Hurry up you two! We have to leave now before we're overrun!" Favia shouted at the two.

"What about Chrom and Basilio?" Jayce shouted as he finally caught up to the leader of the East Khans.

"They can take care of themselves, now move it soldiers!" Favia shouted back.

Tharja silently wondered if she had made the right choice with siding with Chrom's army. Logically, some might say no since she was now a traitor to her home and would no doubt be executed on sight if she ever set foot back into Plagia. Chrom's army was in retreat and the Exalt was dead. Even with all those facts in mind, the firm grip of Jayce's hand wrapped tightly around hers made everything worth it. Tharja felt that the upcoming challenges would be worth it as long as she remained by this man's side…

* * *

**Chapter End**


End file.
